[Birdtalk] Curlew Sandpiper??

[Dave Hanscom]

I decided to head down to the Provo Airport Dike today to try to find the 
Least Sandpiper Eric reported yesterday.  I missed the bunch at Farmington 
Bay a couple of weeks ago.

No luck on the Least, but I did see a bird that looked to me like a Curlew 
Sandpiper, hanging out with the Dowitchers.  My first thought was that it 
was the Dunlin Eric saw, but this bird had a very long, downward-curved 
bill.  The markings fit Sibley's description as well (e.g., black legs, a 
very pronounced white eyebrow, white belly, brownish-grey throat and 
chest), but I missed one important one.  As I was reading my books, a 
couple of hunters scared the whole flock away, so I couldn't check the 
rump to see if it was all white.  Grrrrrrrrr.

The only birds nearby were Killdeer.  The sandpiper was smaller, but not
much.  Certainly larger than a Western.

I'm certainly no expert on sandpipers and would love to know if a Curlew 
Sandpiper is even a possibility.  Or better yet, is there any overlap in 
bill size between that species and a Dunlin?

This was one of those days when I wish I'd had one of you photographers
along.  Or at least someone smarter than I about sandpipers.

Thanks for any inputs.

Dave Hanscom